The invention relates to subscriber service profiles in a telecommunication network, by which service profiles different service combinations, possibly also comprising subscriber terminal settings, are defined for a subscriber. The invention particularly relates to subscriber service profiles in a mobile network, but can also be utilized in other telecommunication networks.
The development of technology has made it possible to offer different services via a telecommunication network, such as a wired network or a mobile telephone network. In addition to basic services and supplementary services specific for the network, the network subscriber has access to the supplementary services transmitted by the network. Below the basic services and the supplementary services specific for the network will be referred to as the network-specific services and the supplementary services transmitted by the network will be referred to as the supplementary services. The supplementary services are, for example, services offered via an Intelligent Network (IN), such as a Personal Number in which the intelligent network reroutes the calls made to a personal number in the way instructed by the subscriber. Services delivered in text mode via short messages are also offered to mobile network subscribers. In addition to conventional mobile originating and mobile terminating short messages, a subscriber can receive, for example, notices, advertisements, personal reminders and even information via Internet through what is known as Smart Messaging.
Simultaneously as the supply of services increases the mobile communication systems and particularly their terminals develop in such a manner that people can freely move away from fixed terminals without that it becomes more difficult to reach them. However, telecommuting, which allows people to stay at home and to work utilizing a home terminal, has become increasingly popular. Wired network or mobile telephone network terminals are therefore being increasingly used for various purposes and in different situations.
The versatility of the services offered and the use of the same terminal for work and for pleasure have created a need to classify the available services according to situation, place and/or time. Different services are needed in different situations, and very often people wish to keep business and private telephone bills apart.
In a digital mobile communication system, such as the pan-European mobile communication system GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), various service profiles can be defined for the subscriber concerning the services specific for the mobile communication system. In the GSM system a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card is used for identifying the subscriber, the SIM card being a processor card, or a smart card, placed in the terminal and comprising for example information needed for identifying the subscriber, such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity IMSI. In the GSM system the subscriber can have for himself/herself two different subscriber profiles associated with a single SIM card, in other words with a single subscriber identity IMSI, both subscriber profiles having their own telephone numbers, or subscriber numbers MSISDN. One of the subjects that is being standardized in Phase 2+ of the GSM system in ETSI (European Telecommunication Standard Institute) is Multiple Subscriber Profiles (MSP). There various profiles formed from the GSM system services defined for the subscriber are connected with the SIM card and the subscriber identity IMSI. When a single numbering scheme is used an unambiguous subscriber number MSISDN is associated with each profile. In a multi-numbering scheme it is possible to give each basic service an unambiguous subscriber number MSISDN in each profile. Whichever numbering scheme is used, each profile has its own identifier by which the subscriber can choose the profile to be used, for example when he/she is making a call. The different subscriber profiles are kept in a home location register HLR, which is a subscriber database. Using the information in the HLR, the MSISDN numbers can be associated with the correct subscriber identity IMSI.
A problem with the arrangement described above is that in addition to the network-specific basic services the service profiles do not include other than network-specific supplementary services. For example, in mobile communication systems neither different short message and intelligent network services nor the settings specific for the mobile station cannot be attached to the service profile. Another problem is that the service profiles and the services they offer are based on separate subscriber numbers. Then the subscriber has to remember which service and/or which service combination each subscriber number uses. This complicates the life of the subscriber particularly when he/she is giving his/her contact information: he/she may have three different subscriber numbers connected with speech services in the work-related profiles.
An object of the invention is to develop a system and an equipment that will be used in the system in such a manner that the problems described above can be solved. The objects of the invention are achieved with a telecommunication system comprising subscribers, a subscriber network, terminals for connecting subscribers to the subscriber network, and a set of services comprising services provided by the network and supplementary services transmitted by the network and memory means including for at least one network subscriber not less than two different subscriber-specific service profiles comprising services defined for the subscriber from the set of services, the telecommunication system being characterized by further comprising changing means for changing the service profile being used by the subscriber to another service profile, and update means responsive to the changing means for sending the service settings of the service profile to units comprising information needed for providing the services.
Here subscriber-specific means subscriber-number-specific, or if it is not desired to connect the services with the subscriber number, they can be connected with another subscriber identifier, in which case subscriber-specific means identifier-specific.
The invention also relates to a mobile station which can be used in the telecommunication system of the invention. The mobile station of the invention is characterized by further comprising message composing means for providing an inquiry message for detecting at least one subscriber-specific service profile of the subscriber, the service profile comprising services defined for the subscriber and settings which are defined from the network-specific services, the supplementary services transmitted by the network and the settings specific for the mobile station, the inquiry message indicating the subscriber and the service profiles to be detected; reception means for receiving an acknowledgement message comprising all subscriber service profiles and their contents inquired in the inquiry message; a user interface for displaying each received service profile to the subscriber; changing means for changing a first available service profile to a second service profile, and setting means responsive to the changing means for changing the values of the mobile station settings in accordance with the second service profile.
The invention further relates to a subscriber register which can be utilized in the telecommunication system of the invention. The subscriber register is a part of a telecommunication network and offers the network subscribers a set of services comprising the network-specific services and supplementary services transmitted by the network, and comprises a subscriber-specific service profile list for at least one network subscriber, the list including not less than two different service profiles, the service profiles containing at least a part of the services that are defined for the subscriber from the set of services. The subscriber register of the invention is characterized by further comprising reception means for receiving an inquiry message indicating the subscriber and at least one service profile, message composing means responsive to the reception means for providing an acknowledgement message comprising all subscriber service profiles and their contents indicated in the inquiry message, and transmission means for sending the acknowledgement message.
The invention further relates to a subscriber register which can be utilized in the telecommunication system of the invention. The subscriber register is a part of a telecommunication network and offers the network subscribers a set of services comprising the network-specific services and supplementary services transmitted by the network, and comprises a subscriber-specific service profile list for at least one network subscriber, the list including not less than two different service profiles, the service profiles containing at least a part of the services that are defined for the subscriber from the set of services. The subscriber register of the invention is characterized by further comprising reception means for receiving a profile change message indicating the subscriber and at least one service profile, message composing means responsive to the reception means for providing update messages for service units comprising information needed for providing services, and transmission means for sending the update messages.
The invention also relates to a method which can be applied to the telecommunication system, to the mobile station and to the subscriber register of the invention. The method of the invention is characterized by defining a set of services for each network subscriber, the set of services comprising services defined for the subscriber from the network-specific services and supplementary services and subscriber terminal settings if the terminal can change its settings; forming for at least one subscriber not less than two different service profiles both comprising at least one service from the set of services; storing each formed service profile in a subscriber-specific service profile list; changing a first service profile used by the subscriber to a second service profile; and, in response to the service profile change, updating the subscriber-specific values of the units needed in providing services associated with the subscriber service profile to correspond with the second service profile.
The idea of the invention is that the service information associated with the services the subscriber uses are concentrated in one place. The advantage of the system of the invention is thus that the subscriber is able to use the versatile service profiles comprising all the services defined for him/her by the use of which he/she easily changes e.g. the operation of all services by changing only a piece of information, or a profile. The subscriber does no longer have to remember what services the network offers, or which services do not change when profiles are changed. Another advantage is that the subscriber does not need more than one subscriber number, although he/she may use various service profiles, because subscriber-specific service profiles or the services they contain are not separated from one another on the basis of the subscriber number.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, when the subscriber has changed his/her service profile, the settings of the service units, such as the service database of the home location register HLR and the Intelligent network of the GSM system comprising the information needed in providing services, are updated to correspond with the changed service profile using normal updating routines. This has the advantage that current network elements can be utilized as before and no changes are needed. Furthermore, updating is used to see to it that all services provided by the network are in accordance with the service profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention the service profile is changed at a predetermined point of time. This has the advantage that the subscriber does not have to attend to the profile changes himself/herself, but for example the work profile automatically changes to the home profile in the evening, and in the morning the change is automatically reversed.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the terminal is a mobile station, the service profile changes to another when the mobile station location changes. The advantage of this embodiment too is that the user does not have to attend to the profile changes.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention in which the terminal is a mobile station, the subscriber can form service profiles for himself/herself from the set of services defined for the subscriber via the mobile station. This has the advantage that the subscriber can form tailor-made service profiles for himself/herself, and even as many as he/she desires.
The preferred embodiments of the system, the mobile station and the subscriber register of the invention are disclosed in the attached dependent claims 2, 3, 6-8 and 10.